A 46-year-old Singaporean man has been arrested and detained on the Indonesian island of Batam on charges of sodomising children, local police said.

Mohammad Asri Sapuan, an entrepreneur, allegedly committed the crimes between Sept 16 and 24 at a house where he stayed in the Nongsa area in Batam, said a police statement released yesterday.

Asri's belongings from the Nongsa house, which included body lotion, a Mickey Mouse-patterned mattress, a blanket and a pillow, were confiscated by police to help with the investigation. They also seized his two cars and Singapore passport.

A community leader in Nongsa told The Straits Times that Asri set up an arts learning centre for children in Batam to attract his victims.

Under Indonesian child protection laws, anyone found guilty of sodomising children can face a jail sentence of up to 15 years.

Batam's police chief, Colonel Hengki, said preliminary investigations showed that there were three victims.